Universal Announces "Coraline" DVD Details

From the visionary imagination of filmmaker Henry Selick, director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and based on the award-winning novel by Newbery Medal winner Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book, Sandman) comes the remarkable handmade, stop-motion animated feature film Coraline, available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def combo pack, 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD and single disc DVD July 21st, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. While all editions feature both the 2-D and 3-D versions of the film and four pairs of 3-D glasses, the Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD also include a digital copy of the movie, as well as an astounding array of bonus features that take you inside the intricate hand-crafted world of this incredibly unique film. The Blu-ray™ Hi-Def combo pack also includes a standard definition DVD of the film, as well as even more bonus features, including additional filmmaker interviews and behind-the-scenes exclusives within Universal’s U-Control and BD-LiveTM features.

An instant classic that will captivate audiences, Coraline, the first feature film from Portland Oregon-based animation studio LAIKA, is the first stop-motion animated feature originally produced in stereoscopic 3-D. A startlingly original tale, Coraline’s vibrant flights of fantasy will keep kids and adults enthralled as it underlines one of life’s most essential truths: be careful what you wish for.

Coraline’s stellar voice cast includes Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds), Teri Hatcher (“Desperate Housewives”), John Hodgman (“The Daily Show”), Ian McShane (“Deadwood”) and Keith David (Crash), with an enchanting musical score by Bruno Coulais (Winged Migration, The Chorus). Henry Selick is one of the leading directors working in animation today. He directed the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas, which has achieved classic status and the remastered 3-D version is bringing Selick a whole new generation of fans. Selick is also the director of James and the Giant Peach, which won the top prize for animated feature at the Annecy Film Festival, and Monkeybone. He also created the celebrated animation sequences for Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Coraline is based on Neil Gaiman’s book, a New York Times and international bestseller and enormous critical success. Among its many honors are: the British Science Fiction Award, the Hugo, the Nebula, the Bram Stoker and the Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla awards. Preorder close is June 2, 2009. Coraline on Blu-rayTM Hi-Def is priced at $39.98 SRP. The 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD is priced at $34.98 SRP and the single disc DVD is priced at $29.98 SRP.

CRITICS ADORE CORALINE

Coraline mesmerized and delighted critics across America with its wondrous and thrilling story and visually stunning stop-motion animation. Leonard Maltin of Entertainment Tonight proclaims Coraline is “the best 3-D movie I’ve ever seen!” It is “a magical tale…a remarkable feat of imagination,” according to Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times. Claudia Puig of USA Today calls it “a visual marvel,” while Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly calls the film “a thrilling stop-motion adventure!” Peter Travers of Rolling Stone says the film is simply “dazzling!” Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle awards it “5 stars! Beautiful!” “Frame by frame, Coraline is a treat,” adds David Edelstein of New York Magazine.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAYTM HI-DEF:

· U-CONTROL ON 2-D FEATURE – Universal’s exclusive signature feature allows viewers to delve into the making of the film with the click of the remote without ever leaving the movie. Through picture-in-picture, fans can enhance their understanding of how the movie was made by viewing tours of the sets, animatics and behind-the-scenes moments, including voiceover sessions.

11-year-old Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning) has just moved with her parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) to a new home in Oregon. With no friends and her parents distracted by work, the feisty and adventurous Coraline sets out to find some excitement in her isolated new environment. She is befriended—or, as she sees it, pestered—by a local boy close to her age, Wybie Lovat (Robert Bailey Jr.) and visits her older neighbors, eccentric British actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible (Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French) as well as the arguably even more eccentric Russian, Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane). Just as she’s beginning to think her new home is utterly uninteresting, she uncovers a secret door which leads to a parallel existence much like her own life—but much better. The adults, including the solicitous Other Mother (also voiced by Teri Hatcher) welcome her warmly. And Coraline gets far more attention there—even from the mysterious Cat (Keith David). She begins to think that this Other World might be where she truly belongs. But when her wondrously off-kilter, fantastical visit turns dangerous, Coraline must summon all her resourcefulness, determination and courage to get back home—and save her real family.

About LAIKA: Fueled by the vision of its owner, Nike co-founder and Chairman Philip H. Knight, LAIKA, Inc. (www.laika.com), located in Portland, OR, is an animation studio specializing in feature films, commercials, music videos, broadcast graphics and short films.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.